Space Fever
by TheHappyDayDreamer
Summary: (oneshot) The team is worried when Keith catches a mysterious illness. Everyone teams up the get the red paladin feeling better, meanwhile getting some hilarious blackmail along the way. I DON'T OWN VOLTRON


It was one of those days where, for the most part, things where peaceful. The paladins had saved a nearby galaxy from three malicious Galra ships two days ago, so the teammates were in a period of calm while Allura and Coran decided on the next best move.

The only thing out of place seemed to be Keith's absence from breakfast. The last couple of weeks he had started to crack a few jokes with Pidge and Hunk, humor Coran and his exuberant ramblings, he was even more patient with Lance lately. The team assumed that he was finally warming up, but his disappearance during breakfast sparked an unspoken thought in the others heads. Maybe he was reverting back to his old ways?

Hunk was the first to bring it up. He was utterly baffled. No matter what, Keith didn't miss breakfast. Pidge insisted he was probably just extra emo today, imagining him in his room, listening to Welcome to the Black Parade and staying in bed all day. Lance insisted that he was probably in the training room alone, getting in some extra practice in order to get the upper hand on Lance during their upcoming sparring practice, which was to take place later that day. At this Allura used the intercom to check the training room, but there was no answer. Shiro assured the team that they shouldn't worry, Keith would not miss practice. At that Lance agreed. Keith would not pass up an opportunity to one-up him. The team collectively rolled their eyes at Lance statement then.

So they all relaxed, took the next hour and a half to do whatever they pleased then made their way to the training room. They were shocked to find that Keith was still no where to be seen. The red paladin had never EVER missed practice. Something was up. They decided to check his room, and, sure enough, Keith was on his bed, completely checked out. The team walked to his side then Pidge poked him in the face.

"Miss Keisha? Oh my god, he's fuckin dead." She gasped.

"Language Pidge," Shiro grunted.

Lance crossed his arms, "He's not dead, he just slept through the alarm or something." He leaned towards Keith and yelled obnoxiously, "HEY KEITH! RISE AND SHINE MULLET!" But Keith did not stir. Not even after Shiro had shaken his arm in attempt to wake him.

"This isn't good, guys, I think he sick." The leader murmured, "I'm going to get Coran and Allura. Hunk watch after him." He commanded as he left.

"heeeeey! Why's Hunk in charge?" Lance asked and Pidge crossed her arms in protest.

Shiro peaked his head back into the room. "Because you'll probably just try to draw dicks on his face, and Pidge will record the whole thing, and- I think Hunk is the best choice for this situation." Then he left.

Hunk chuckled contently at his friends disapointment, "Ha haaa! See Lance? This is what happens when you're confrontational. Maybe if you were a bit nicer-"

"I wouldn't mess with Keith, Hunk, he's sick! Who do you think I am?"

"Um. Lance." Pidge droned, deadpan. She didn't seem as offended as the other. She knew herself that if anything entertaining were to go down, she would absolutely record it. She needed new memes and good material was hard to find in space.

Eventually, Shiro arrived with the two worried Altaens in tow. Coran informed the others after a full body scan that Keith had a strange virus called metahelixus. It was common for multi-species beings to contrive this illness during a sudden change in environment. It was strange to Coran though since there was no logical reason for a human to have this virus. They all assumed it was just a fluke.

The paladins agreed to take turns looking after Keith until he got over this sickness (which Pidge and Hunk had renamed space flu). Hunk and Shiro went to the kitchen to brew up some beverage that could help with Keith's symptoms, Pidge was researching metahelixus in the palace records, and Lance was unusually quiet.

With Pidge on the floor buried in her research, Lance sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed and glued his eyes to his sick friend...Teammate...Rival? Person.

"You know staring at him isn't going to make him any better." Pidge suddenly spoke, causing Lance to sharply breathe in, startled.

"Oh yeah. I was just," He brought his knee up to his elbow casually, attempting to sell his unbothered facade, "just thinking about how funny it would be to draw a dick on his face."

Pidged ignored this distraction and rolled her eyes in exhaustion. "He'll be alright Lance."

"kch-psh-wh-I don't care!" He retorted but was stopped from continuing his rambling when Keith suddenly sat up in bed. Pidge and Lance both screamed at this sudden movement and Keith looked around the room wildly.

They all stared at each other until Keith finally muttered something under his breath.

"what was that?" Pidge asked.

Keith suddenly stared right through Pidge and yelled, "QUIZNAK! What the fuck is up with those freaky mice? They're all like, 'we're mice and we talk'. Space is a crazy place, man." Then he flopped back into bed, shut his eyes, and went back to sleep.

Lance was too shocked to laugh, and he looked to Pidge for some explanation. She then explained as if nothing happened, "Deliriousness is a symptom of space fever.

Throughout the day the team took care of Keith together. He had woken up several times but never said anything coherent. Once when Shiro was trying to feed him some medicine, Keith started singing Cruella Deville while stroking the leader's hair, causing Lance and Hunk to literally fall to the floor laughing. When hunk had given Keith his tea, he threw it across the room, yelling in an awful English accent, attempting a Gordon Ramsay impression. Shiro had to wrestle the phone out of Pidge's hands a few times in order to stop her from recording Keith's ramblings, but Lances behavior was surprisingly appropriate. He was happy to help, but for whatever reason, he refused to leave Keith's side.

Around 11 pm, as Keith shuffled back to his bed from the bathroom, he walked up to Lance and stared at him through squinted eyes, which was very unsettling to the blue paladin. "Yeaaaah?" Lance droned.

"Lance," He started "Did it hurt..."

"Wait, what? Oh god."

"LEMME FINISH! Did. it. hurt. when."

"No."

"You."

"pick up lines are my thing, Keith."

"CRAWLED FROM HELL?" Keith burst into a delirious fit of laughter at this and had to lean against Lance for support. All Lance could do was stare proudly at his friend.

"Wow, Keith, that- that was beautiful- I think I might cry." Keith finally calmed himself down, but instead of laying back down, he gripped Lance around the waist and pulled him down onto the bed with surprising strength. Lance blushed and stuttered. "What're you?!"

"Hold me I'm sick."

"Wha-"

"I'M dYiNg LaNcE. pLaY wItH mY hAiR." Keith whined.

Lance didn't know what to do. First of all, Keith was being extremely cute. As always. But Lance didn't let himself think that way. Second, he had DREAMED of playing with this guys hair. But he had promised himself to at least try not to be so GAY for Keith.

But gay won.

Lance ran a hand through Keiths hair and he rubbed his back with the other. Keith smiled and looked up at him. "Do you love me?"

Lance blushed more than ever before. "What?"

"Well, sometimes I think you do but... I don't know. "

Lance sighed. No matter what the answer was, this was so not Keith. Keith would never smile like this at him. Keith was not vulnerable. Keith didn't care. "Keith, go to bed, you're sick."

Keith nuzzled his nose into lance's shoulder. _Cuuuuuuute_ , Lance thought. Then Keith responded, "Okay. But I love you."

"No you don't"

"Ok, well you're wrong cuz I do, so."

"Goodnight Keith.

"Goodnight Lance."

Lance played with Keiths hair until they both fell asleep. The others walked in later that night and exchanged amused glances. Then Shiro saw Pidge slowly get out her phone.

"KATIE HOLT DON'T YOU DARE."


End file.
